Cs.Sebestyén Kálmán - Szvircsek Ferenc: Salgótarjáni új almanach 1. (Salgótarján, 1997)

VI. TRADÍCIÓ ÉS KULTÚRA - 12. Rezümék

the intention of remaining here for a long time. They just wanted to take full advantage of the opportunity and make off - that was the common opinion. Among these circumstances the development of the village could not follow the increasing number of its inhabitants. The establishment of the railway line meant great advantage but, as it had not been planned well, it divided the village into two parts without having proper level crossings. The villagers built their tiny houses along the main road that was windig through the narrow valley and up in the hillsides (so as to avoid the moorland at the deepest points) without any order and planning. There were just two buildings built from bricks: the mansion and the house of the bailiff opposite to it - later it became the socalled Szilárdy mansion. The other houses were built from wood and clay with thatched roofs and small windows. In the place of today's Main Square there was just a pool of mud. The groups of houses were built close to each other like in traditional „palóc" villages. That was suitable for the mining works, too, because they had to provide the cheapest and simplest way of accomodation quickly for the increasing workforce knowing that coal might be short soon and the workers would then go away. In 1861 the first company (Saint Stephen Coalmine Company) settled down in the village and in 1868 a new ltd. was established (Mining Works Ltd. of Salgótarján). That one started to build simple and cheap houses for its workers and later, with the opening of new adits and mine shafts other colonies were built; but they all had their temporary character. At the beginning these colonies were quite far from the original village, and did not change its view but later, as the village grew bigger they became the part of the town, too. Salgótarján has become more famous since the 1850's when the coalmine company settled down here and indicated the unknown village as